IWSG: Wednesday, December 3, 2025 ~ My Best Writer's Gift Ever

 

It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.

To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are 

Tara Tyler, Janse van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, Liza, and Natalie Aguirre!

Stop by their posts and thank them for hosting.

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Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.

This month's optional question is: 

As a writer, what was one of the coolest/best gifts you ever received?

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Happy December, Everyone! 

I hope all is well with each of you.

Yes, a straightforward and noncontroversial question,

definitely a gift at this busy time of year! 

The best gift I ever received as writer was a framed picture

of the cover of The Antigonish Review which published my first short story

together with the title page of my story "Ugly Little Bastards."

My family surprised me with it on Christmas morning 1982

the year my story was published.

This gift symbolized my family's love for me and their unconditional support

during one of the most difficult times in my life.

Personally for me, that story in that literary journal was validation.  

I was a writer.

The Antigonish Review ~ Number 48, Winter, 1982

"Ugly Little Bastards" p. 75

My writing journey has followed a different course from what I imagined,

but whenever I doubt myself and my writing,

I look at that framed picture and feel the validation.

The best gift I've ever received in my life?

The gift of a loving and supportive family.

including Terry, my parents, my siblings, their spouses, and my extended family. 

Our Generation

Back: Roy, Terry, Peter, and Martin

Front: Sue, Barb, Me, Bertie, and Donnie

Missing: Pat

Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

August 7, 2029

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue All Rights Reserved

Just in case you don't know, we have an IWSG Facebook site with thousands of members.

Today, if you'd like to link your IWSG post to our Facebook site,

you can post a link in the comments on our FB site.

We share our monthly IWSG question with our Facebook members,

and they can share their answers on today's FB post as well.

And here's a plug for me! 😂

Today on the home page of our IWSG website,

I have posted "What is the Point?" asking what is the point

of your writing and why do you persist during a difficult time.

Discussion is always welcome! 

Have a healthy, happy, and creative December!

Take care!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

Copyright ©2025 – All rights reserved.

My next post will be Friday, December 12th 🤞 

Just so you know, I monitor my comments before publishing them.  This means your comment won't appear immediately.  I will not publish mean spirited or commercial comments.